


Broken Parts

by Fallenstar92



Series: Destiel AU [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Badass Dean Winchester, Canon Typical Violence, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Established Relationship, Established Sam Winchester/OFC, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mpreg, Parent Castiel, Parent Dean Winchester, Post Mpreg, Season/Series 12, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-06-09 04:52:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15259839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallenstar92/pseuds/Fallenstar92
Summary: Dean isn't sure how life is going to work with Lucifer on the loose, again and his Mother back from the dead after over thirty years, but he knows he has more than just himself to worry about.





	1. Coming Home

Dean was numb as he drove towards the Bunker; God and his sister-who would ever think God had family?-were working out their familial issues, he was still alive, and-the weirdest part of his day, which says a lot-his mother was alive and kicking. "And Sam?" Mary asked as he drove, having been filled in on the past thirty-four years of his life.

"Went to college-Stanford, if you can believe it-for a few years. Had a girl their that he was pretty serious with, but... I dragged him back." Dean admitted quietly, eyes locked on the road.

"Why would you bring him back into this life?" Mary asked, sounding genuinely hurt.

"Dad was gone, and I needed Sammy." Dean replied, eyes still on the road. "Things aren't so bad for Sam, now; met a hunter about three years ago and they're pretty hot and heavy. Her name's Jael-Jay-and she's... She's a good girl. Real strong." 

"Is she here? At this Bunker?" Mary asked, now sounding fairly excited.

"Should be. My baby, too." Dean replied with a smirk as he thought about Castiel. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard, after all.

 

"Dean?" Jael rasped as she rounded the corner into Dean and Castiel's room, gun raised. "H-how are you-" Jael cut herself off by dousing Dean with Holy water and sliced his hand with a silver dagger. "Sorry." Jael apologized quietly when she realized nothing was happening, her grey eyes focused on Dean's injured hand, her sandy blonde hair falling out of the bun she'd tied her hair up in earlier that day.

"Hey, I should be dead; no apologies necessary." Dean said simply, pulling Jael into a hug. "What happened?" Dean asked, examining the gash on Jael's forehead.

"Someone was here when we got back; got the jump on me before I even realized anything was off." Jael explained angrily. "I was looking for Sam. Or Cas. Hell, even Ryder, and none of them are here." Both Jael and Dean took off running when they heard yelling and a baby crying-Ryder crying-from the map room.

"Daddy!" Ryder screeched happily as soon as he spotted Dean, his big blue eyes locked on his father as he clapped his chubby hands from his spot in Castiel's arms. 

"Dean-" Dean cut Castiel off by kissing the brunette angel's chapped pink lips.

"Easy, Barbie." Jael seethed, aiming her gun at Mary's head. "When I point this thing at someone, I don't miss."

"Drop the guns, both of you. Now... Mary, the short girl with the gun on you? That's Jael Fisher. This is Cas-Castiel-he's an angel; Halo, harp, the whole deal." Dean said, taking the giggling light brown-haired baby from Castiel and kissing his chubby cheek. 

"I don't have a Harp." Castiel denied, though he smiled at Dean.

"This little guy is Ryder Jossiah Winchester; I call him Rocket." Dean said with a smile as Ryder waved a tiny shy hand in Mary's direction. "Cas, Jay, Rocket, this is Mary Winchester."

"Your mother." Castiel said, finally causing Jael to lower her gun.

"Nice family reunion-really is-but where is Sam?" Jael asked, looking around for the giant Moose of a man.

"The woman... She banished me once Sam and I got into the Bunker. She must have hidden from Jael-she walked in ahead of us to put Ryder to bed-and once we got inside I heard Ryder crying and..." Castiel ranted, seemingly trying to get the events right inside his own mind.

"Once I got him laid down I got hit on the head." Jael supplied. "Whoever it was, they wanted Sam, but didn't care about the three of us."

"That makes no sense; why-if they were after Sam-would they completely ignore a nephilim?" Castiel asked, which seemed to confuse Mary.

"Half angel/half human; it's what Ryder is." Dean supplied, which didn't seem to clear anything up. "Cas got pregnant and had this little guy about two years ago."

"M-maybe she thought that... Ryder was yours?" Mary supplied, still completely confused about all of this.

"Makes sense; she's putting the kid to bed, his hair's about the same color as Sam's... Question is, where'd she take Sam?" Dean asked, moving towards Sam's laptop sitting on the table, ready to get his little brother back as quickly as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to end "Where Do We Go From Here?" to focus on more recent seasons in a story. So leave me some comments to let me know how you feel about this story, so far. Much love!


	2. Torture

"When Cas and Jay get ahold of you..." Sam chuckled under his breath as cold water was poured over his head.

"Castiel won't get past the warding we've put up. And Jay... I'll assume you're referring to Miss Fisher? Yes, we're well aware of her, too; Jael Dylan Fisher, age thirty, one and a half meters tall, born in Covington, Louisiana, raised as a Hunter. She has lovely blonde hair and grey eyes... She's a psychic, correct?" Toni Bevell asked Sam with a snide smile on her face. "And the mother of your son... I believe the sign in his bedroom said his name is Ryder Winchester." With that one sentence, Sam realized the British Men Of Letters didn't know as much as they seemed to believe; they thought Ryder was completely human, and Sam needed to keep it that way. His brother was gone, and he owed it to Dean to protect Ryder.

"You go anywhere near him? I'll rip your throat out with my teeth." Sam threatened. "And a piece of advice? I was tortured by Lucifer, himself; this is nothing."

"We're just getting started, Mister Winchester." Toni replied, taking far too much joy in the act of torturing Sam. Sam didn't care, though; as long as she stayed away from Jael, Castiel, and Ryder, he would endure the pathetic attempt at torture for this blonde bitch.

 

"I'm not staying here." Jael practically growled, glaring at Dean the best she could while standing a foot shorter than the eldest Winchester. "Face it, Dean; you need me on this."

"I know we do, Jay, but Cas' Angel Mojo could make or break it, and..." Dean didn't want to say it out loud, but he didn't want to leave Ryder alone with his mother; he remembered her being a very devoted mother, but he was four when she died, and she didn't technically know his son.

"I get it-I really do-but I'm not a babysitter; I'm a hunter." Jael argued. "I can't sit this out when Sam's in trouble."

"I know." Dean repeated. "Please, Jay... I need you to do this for me. I'll get Sammy back here to you."

"You owe me, Winchester." Jael sighed, lifting Ryder out of his playpen. "Anything goes wrong, send Cas back for me."

"Deal. Thanks, Jay." Dean agreed, hugging his brother's girlfriend before stealing Ryder away from her. "Be good for Auntie Jay, Rocket. No hide and seek, no throwin' stuff when you get mad, and listen when Auntie Jay tells you something. Got it?" Dean asked, staring into his son's wide blue eyes as a dimpled smile spread across his chubby face.

"I good!" Ryder giggled, squeezing Dean's face between his hands before leaning forward to kiss the tip of Dean's nose.

"Thanks, Rocket." Dean said, smiling down at the perfect little boy he and Castiel had created. "Any hits on Sam's phone?" Dean sniffed as he passed Ryder back to the boy's Aunt.

"Nothing. Wherever he is must be heavily warded, as well, because I can't pick up on any distress from Sam." Castiel replied, glaring at the computer as if it had personally insulted him. 

"Last time I could track his phone, was..." Jael said, passing Ryder to Castiel before typing something into the computer. "Right here. Must have turned the GPS off after they got that far." The video playing on the screen was traffic cam footage, showing an SUV with tinted windows driving through an intersection.

"You see anything about her when you touched the sigil?" Dean asked, hoping the psychic had some information about Sam's captor.

"Not much; I was still a little out of it from the hit I took, so it was mainly just scrambled pictures. A little boy not much older than Ryder, a syringe, and a file with Sam's name on it, but..." Jael faltered off, furrowing her eyebrows in concentration.

"But what?" Dean asked, rewatching the video of the SUV Sam must have been in.

"The file, it had the symbol of the Men Of Letters on it." Jael replied quietly. "But that makes no sense; Sam said they'd all died out."

"Perhaps just the American sector; the woman had an English accent." Castiel interjected.

"If you see anything else, call us." Dean instructed Jael, who only nodded in reply as she took Ryder back from Castiel. She could see that Dean was out for blood, and when he got that look? It was never good news for the person he was after.

 

"Now Sam, isn't this better?" Toni asked Sam as they lounged in bed, sipping glasses of wine. "Now, what else can you tell me about the American hunters?"

"I'd rather do something else." Sam replied, taking Toni into his arms and flipping her onto her back. He leaned in to kiss the woman underneath him, when his mind was bombarded with images; long, messy blonde curls, a soft, slightly crooked smile, a dimple in a pale left cheek, two freckles at the tip of slightly upturned nose, sparking grey eyes, full curves, an anti-possession sigil tattooed on the jut of a hip bone... He didn't want this. Where was Jael? Why was he doing this? Why would he risk losing Jael for a woman he wasn't attracted to?

"Now, Sam, we could have kept going in a much more... Pleasurable manner." Toni sneered as Sam snapped out of his trance.

"No thanks." Sam managed to rasp out, trying hie hardest to focus his eyes. "What did you do to me?" Sam asked the English woman seated in front of him.

"I simply gave you a better alternative." Toni replied with false innocence.

"Yeah, not so much." Sam said dryly. "Not interested."

"Suit yourself." Toni said as she stood up. "You will give me the names of the American hunters. I'm the most skilled interrogator the British Men Of Letters have at their disposal."

"Brain-washing and torture seem like the only tools you've got, and they're not working. Maybe the British Men Of Letters need to train better." With that, Sam felt a fist collide with the side of his head and the light around him faded.

 

"This is it." Castiel said, looking around at the house. "I can't get inside with you."

"You're on watch, then, Angel." Dean said, pulling Castiel close to his chest and pressing their foreheads together. "We'll get Sam, get out, and we can get back to our boy."

"I love you." Castiel whispered, not wanting to be separated Dean again, so soon after nearly losing him.

"Ditto." Dean replied, pulling away from Castiel to go rescue his brother. Whoever this Toni Bevell was, she'd soon learn why you don't mess with the Winchesters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene where Toni manipulated Sam's thoughts was wrong in so many ways; she basically assumed that because Sam was a man he'd want to sleep with her, and that is not okay. Anyway, leave me some comments, beauties. Much love!


	3. A Glimpse To The Past

Toni was in complete shock as she watched Sam Winchester-one of the best hunters America had to offer-slit his throat with a broken shard of mirror after she and Ms. Watts had burnt his feet with a blow torch, drugged him, and left him alone in the basement. She ran into the locked room, ready to do what she had to to clean up her mess-having been told the Winchesters were to remain breathing until given further instruction-when Sam lunged and knocked her to the ground with a thud.

"Back away." She heard a deep voice call from behind her once she'd gained the upper hand. Toni slowly turned to see Dean Winchester and a young blonde woman both pointing guns at her head and Ms. Watts lying at their feet with her throat slit. "Tell me who the Hell you are and what you were thinkin' taking my brother."

"I can explain that to you." 'Damn.' Toni thought as she saw Mick Davies descending the stairs with the Winchester brothers' pet Angel. "My name is Mick Davies, the woman you seem to have killed is Ms. Watts, and the young lady Sam-it is Sam, right?-has on the ground is Lady Toni Bevell. We're from the British Men Of Letters." Mick said, awkwardly attempting to shake Dean's hand with the one that wasn't resting on Castiel's shoulder. "As a sign of Good Will, I've taken down the warding and brought your friend in. As it is, you could kill me without breaking a sweat, am I right?"

"I don't sweat for any reason." Castiel replied, making Dean bite his lip to refrain from laughing.

"Right. Mister Winchester, allow me to take Lady Bevell back to London; our people will deal with her for going against protocol." Mick said, hoping Dean Winchester would lower his gun.

"I see any of you again? I'll freakin' shoot. No second chances." Dean warned, watching as Mick lead Toni up the stairs before he and Castiel lifted Sam's limp body from the ground.

 

"Sam!" Before Dean could remind Sam to be careful, the younger Winchester was rushing over to his girlfriend, pulling the blonde into a hug.

"I'm okay." Sam whispered to the woman who barely reached his chest; if he'd had an easier day, he'd make a joke about how small Jael's 5'1" frame was compared to his towering 6'4" body.

"Hey, Jay, think you could get a reading for us?" Dean asked, ushering for Castiel to remove his trenchcoat.

"On Cas?" Jael asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked at the tan coat on the War Room table.

"No; one of the British Men of Letters touched the left shoulder." Dean explained, watching Mary, Sam, Castiel, and Jael sit around the table. "Gonna check on Rocket, tell me what you see when I get back."

"No one else touched the left shoulder of your coat after him, right?" Jael asked Castiel, who shook his head. Jael took a shaky breath before touching the soft fabric, gasping as images and feelings from the man flooded her mind.

"You okay, Jay?" Sam asked, placing a hand on the small of her back.

"So much... Pain. Not physical-not all of it-but... But he feels...  _everything."_ Jael replied, feeling overwhelmed by all the pain Mick Davies feels day in and day out.

"That mean you think we can trust him?" Dean asked as he re-entered the war room with Ryder in his arms.

"No." She replied simply, standing up and rushing out of the room with Sam right behind her.

 

"Are you alright... Jay?" Mary asked the younger woman around four in the morning as she walked into the kitchen, spotting Jael sitting at the table in-what Mary assumed was-Sam's shirt, a pair of cotton shorts, and white socks.

"Yeah. How are you? This must be overwhelmin' for you." Jael replied, pulling out the chair next to her for Mary.

"It's like I went to sleep and Dean was only four, but I woke up, and he's a grown man with a baby of his own. And Sam... He wasn't even talking when I..." Mary couldn't finish her sentence.

"They're good men, Mary." Jael reassured the older woman.

"Can I ask you something? Just to help me catch up." Mary said, looking into the beautiful grey eyes of the woman her youngest son was in love with.

"Sure." Jael agreed, nodding as she stood up and walked to the fridge, quickly returning with two bottles of water, wordlessly passing one to Mary.

"How did you and Sam meet?" Mary asked, expecting some sweet story.

"It's sort of a long story." Jael said, fiddling with the lid of her water bottle.

"I have time." Mary assured the younger woman.

 

_"Can I help you?" Jael asked as she opened the door of her apartment, only to find two tall men standing outside. The taller of the two-who Jael assumed must have been around 6'4" or 6'5"-cleared his throat and pushed his long brown hair away from his face._

_"Are you Jael Fisher?" He asked, looking down at Jael with warm, kind, hazel eyes._

_"Yeah?" Jael replied as more of a question, still wondering why they were here._

_"I'm Sam Winchester and this is my friend, Castiel... We need your help." Sam said, and Jael instantly recognized the names._

_"Come on in." Jael said, stepping aside for Sam and Castiel to enter the apartment. "So, since it's not your brother with you, I'm gonna guess the stories are true... Dean Winchester is a Demon."_

_"Yeah. We heard from a friend that you could get a reading off of things someone touched-their past, feelings, and sometimes their future-and we... We really need you to help us; to tell us if Dean can be saved." Sam said, staring pleadingly at Jael._

_"Take a seat." Jael instructed, leading Castiel and Sam over to her small living room and taking a seat in the arm chair across from the couch where both men sat. "If either of you touched it, this won't work."_

_"Picked it up with gloves on and put it straight in the bag." Sam said, passing a plastic bag containing a picture of a pretty blonde woman hugging a smiling little boy over._

_"Perfect." Jael said, shakily opening the bag. "I don't know how you heard about me-"_

_"We used a medium to contact Bobby Singer." Castiel interrupted, breaking his silence._

_"Well that's totally normal." Jael mumbled sarcastically. "Look, these readings... They can be intense; if I freak out, just... Don't pull me out." Jael took the picture in her hands, smiling at the innocent little green-eyed boy staring up at her before being sucked into his mind._

 

**_The scent of fresh apple pie filled the air as Dean's mommy smiled down at him, running her fingers through his hair as she sat a slice of the dessert in front of him. He was safe; he was loved. The scene quickly changed to the house filled with smoke and the putrid scent of burning hair as his Daddy placed baby Sammy in his arms and told him to get his brother outside. He was terrified, and he didn't see his Mommy; he just wanted his Mommy to hold him and sing "Hey Jude" until this was all over. Sammy was older, now, and living with a pretty blonde named Jessica. Dean didn't want to take him away from college-from the girl he clearly loved-but their Dad was missing, and he was truly alone for the first time in his life. He was scared and jealous; scared for his Dad, and jealous of Sammy getting out and making a life for himself. Dean just didn't want to be alone._ **

**_He'd died, and he spent forty years in Hell, all the while calling out for Sam to help him, until the torture-the pain and stench-became too much and he caved; he just wanted the pain to stop. An angel had saved him; why would an angel save a screw up like him? He didn't want to believe it, but Castiel had so much conviction in his eyes that Dean couldn't help trusting him; he finally felt save, again. Time went by, and he fell in love with the angel-the man who made him feel safe for the first time since he was four and lost his Mom-but he had taken the mark. Castiel promised to love him even with a demon's mark on his skin; he was loved, again, by someone other than Sam and Bobby._ **

**_When he died, he felt free; no more hunting, no saving people, no worries. However, part of him-the part still clinging to his humanity-compelled him to write Sam a simple note; "Let me go, Sammy." was the last message he left Sam. His message to Castiel was a bit different, however; "I'm sorry I wasn't stronger, Angel. You have to let me go." He still held on to some sliver of hope that his family wouldn't listen; that they would save him._ **

**_Dean looks out on the small field the Winchester family deemed the perfect place for Ryder's tenth birthday party as his angel chases their three boys around, his brother close behind with his own two girls hanging off his arms; he was safe, he was loved, and he had his family. The mark hadn't defeated him the way it had Cain._ **

 

_"Jael? Are you okay?" Sam asked, placing a large hand on her arm as tears slowly fell down her cheeks._

_"He can be saved; and part of him wants you to save him." Jael informed both men, standing up and taking the picture over to Castiel. "He'd want you to hold onto this until he's back."_

_"Why me?" Castiel asked, sad blue eyes meeting understanding grey._

_"Because you made him feel safe, again." She replied with a comforting smile. "Go get your man back."_

_"Thank you." Sam mumbled, pulling her into a hug that managed to transmit all of his emotions to the small blonde; fear, anger, hope, guilt, regret, and a hint of jealousy. How the Hell did that happen? She always had to focus to get a reading. Something was different about Sam Winchester, and she needed to know what it was._

 

"The girls you saw in Sam's future, they're yours?" Mary asked, a hopeful smile on her face.

"I don't know; anytime I see a glimpse at the future, I only see Sam with them. They might be mine, they might not." Jael said honestly. "But when they get here-whoever Sam has them with-they're gonna have a great Daddy."

"Hey, was wondering where you went." Sam yawned as he walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes as he made his way over to Jael, dropping a kiss on her head before moving the the fridge to retrieve another bottle of water. "Hey, Mom."

"Hi, sweetie. I was just chatting with Jay, but I should get back to bed. Goodnight." Mary said, standing up and patting her son's cheek. "Don't let that one go; she's a good girl." Mary whispered, causing Sam to smile. Mary knew that smile like the back of her hand; that was John's beautiful, dimpled smile that he'd passed down to their youngest boy.

"I don't plan on it." Sam replied with a loving smile aimed at Jael. Mary could see that Sam was in good hands.

 

"If you scare me like that, again, Dean Winchester, I will personally smite you and send you back to Hell." Mary could hear Castiel's hushed voice as she got to the bedroom he shared with Dean.

"I'm not plannin' on it, but it'll probably happen, at some point, Angel." Dean replied, and Mary had to smile at the loving tone Dean used with Castiel.

"Ryder and I need you here with us." Castiel said, clearly still unhappy about Dean volunteering to be used as a bomb, even if the plan had fallen through.

"Hey, I'm not gonna leave you two, okay? You're stuck with me." Dean joked, though Mary could hear a promise in it.

"I don't mind." Castiel murmured in a tone that told Mary she should move along. She may have a hard time adjusting, but at least she knew both of her boys were with partners who truly loved them, which is all any mother could want for their child.


	4. Back To The Hunt

"Possible haunting in South Dakota, Poltergeist activity in Upstate New York, and what looks like a Vampire Nest in New Mexico." Jael relayed to the Winchester Brothers and Castiel before Mary or Ryder had woken up the next morning. "Garth called earlier and said he had a few friends takin' the Vamp nest and my cousin Louise is passing through New York; she said she'd take a look at the Poltergeist."

"South Dakota it is, then. Gives us a chance to stop in and see Jody." Dean said, knowing the older woman took any chance she had to spend time with Ryder.

"What did you find on the Haunting?" Sam asked, passing Jael a cup of coffee.

"The house is new, no deaths in it, but before it was built an old Victorian was in it's place; it was torn down ten years ago after it was condemned for Toxic mold." Jael read from the laptop in front of her.

"If the house is torn down it could lead to a violent spirit." Castiel chimed in, glancing at the baby monitor to his left.

"Biggest issue we'd have would be figuring out who to burn." Jael agreed quietly.

"Jody could get us death certificates from the old house; look for anyone who died bloody." Dean suggested, taking a sip of his own coffee as the soft sound of Ryder's snores coming through the baby monitor seized and the boy sleepily muttered "Daddy" from his room. "Sammy, call Jody for me?"

"On it." Sam replied, his phone already in his hand as both brothers left the kitchen.

"I can feel the worry rollin' off you, Cas." Jael commented, her eyes not leaving the documents she'd found on the haunting.

"I have a feeling Mary won't adjust well." Castiel admitted, waiting for Dean to return to the kitchen with their son.

"You too?" Jael asked, finally looking up at Castiel. "Cas... I can't read her."

"At all?" Castiel questioned nervously.

"Nothing; it's completely blank any time I try." Jael sighed, quickly tying her hair into a messy bun. "I even got a fuckin' read off Crowley! What is it about Mary?"

"I have no idea what could block your abilities... What can we do?" Castiel asked, feeling the protectiveness he always harbored for the Winchester boy's bubbling up in his chest.

"Protect our boys. No matter what that means." Jael decided, faking a smile when Dean and Sam returned, waving slightly at the sleepy toddler in Dean's arms.

 

"Joey!" Ryder giggled as Jody snatched him away from Castiel, hugging him against her chest. 

"Hey, cutie!" Jody cooed, looking down at the beautiful child in her arms. "I missed you!"

"Of course the baby's the only one who gets any love." Dean sighed, moving to hug the woman who had been a surrogate mother to him since they met.

"You know I'm always happy to see you boys. And Jay, of course." Jody said, smiling at Jael as the shorter woman wrapped her small arms around Sam. Truthfully, Jody was eternally grateful to Castiel and Jael for making her boys so happy, but she suspected they knew.

"Jody, this is Mary Winchester." Sam introduced the other blonde, thoroughly shocking Jody.

"Oh wow! Hi!" Jody greeted, shifting Ryder onto her hip. "You're... Alive. And younger than Dean."

"Thanks for pointing that out, Jody." Dean said sarcastically, nibbling on Ryder's fingers.

"So... This is Jody Mills." Mary said with a clearly forced smile that had Jael and Castiel both on edge; what was it about Mary that made them both so nervous?

"Sure am! You got a great family, here, Mary; these two boys? Couldn't ask for better sons. Plus, you got a pretty great son-in-law and daughter-in-law." Jody commented, offering Castiel and Jael a smile filled with real warmth. "And who couldn't love this little Angel?"

"Me!" Ryder chirped, clearly in a fantastic mood.

"Yep; you, Rocket." Jody laughed, leading the Winchester gang into the house.

 

"She's... Not what I expected." Jody commented as she and Jael stood in the kitchen watching Sam and Dean play in the floor with Ryder as Castiel stood off to the side, watching Mary stare at her sons and grandson.

"She's... Off. I'm not sure what it is, but I'll figure it out." Jael declared, still wondering why she couldn't read Mary.

"What did you get when you read her?" Jody asked, passing the other woman a cup of coffee and and the rest of the information Sam had requested on the haunted house.

"Nothing; it was just... Dark." Jael replied, sifting through the papers in her hands.

"Keep our boys safe. You got me?" Jody gently ordered, wrapping her arm around Jael's shoulders.

"Always." Jael promised, already finding the most probable cause for the haunting. A simple Salt and burn was just what she needed to observe Mary, and she knew the brothers dealt with obstacles better when they were hunting. She just prayed they could actually trust Mary.


	5. Grave Digging

"Why... Is it always  _us_ diggin' up bones?" Dean asked, panting for breath as he and Jael dug up the corpse of the man who had originally built the old Victorian-an angry old man who was believed to have murdered his wife the year before the house was completed-while Sam and Castiel stood watch, ready to help them out of the hole.

"'Cause I can't pull your Moose of a brother outta here, Cas can zap someone to sleep, and we're faster than them, anyway." Jael grunted, tossing her shovel up to Sam. "Help me out, Sam!"

"I gotcha." Sam replied, pulling Jael up as if she weighed nothing at all as Castiel did the same with Dean. "Mom went back to the car." Sam informed his brother when Dean noticed that Mary wasn't around the grave-something Jael had noticed about halfway down-with the rest of their family.

"Shit! I left my lighter in the car!" Dean exclaimed, patting down his pockets to see if he had-perhaps-just over looked his Zippo.

"I got some matches." Jael offered, taking her cigarette pack and matchbook out of her jacket pocket. "Sometimes, keepin' a smoker on speed dial's worth it." She joked, lighting a cigarette and watching Sam and Dean as they poured lighter fluid and rock salt over the bones in the casket. "You owe me, Winchester." with that, Jael lit another match and tossed it into the open grave.

 

"You realize, Mary, that if you agree to help us, we will have to take out Sam's psychic little Girlfriend. And Dean's pet Angel." Arthur Ketch said, looking at the woman seated across from him in a trashy little diner.

"If that's what it takes to get my boys out of this life... I'll do it, myself." Mary decided, quickly ignoring yet another call from Dean-the fourth since she'd decided to leave the bunker to cope with losing so much time-so she could continue her talk with Arthur.

"Very well, then. We'll be in touch." Arthur said, standing up and leaving Mary alone.

 

"I take it Sam's finally asleep." Castiel said as he entered the kitchen sometime after two in the morning, finding Jael sitting at the counter with one of Sam's many flannel shirts over her cotton shorts and tank top.

"He didn't take Mary leavin' well." Jael sighed, pulling Sam's shirt tighter around herself, taking a slow, deep breath through her nose. She always seemed to find comfort in the combined scents of the cheap laundry detergent in the bunker, Sam's soap, and the cologne he wore; it smelt like home to Jael.

"Neither did Dean." Castiel replied, taking a seat across from Jael. "He insisted on keeping Ryder in our room for the night."

"Can you really blame him? First Mary died 'cause she made a deal with a demon, then John tries to turn the boys into perfect little soldiers, he's forced to raise his brother, Sam leaves him, John leaves him, John dies, and then when Mary comes back? She leaves him, again." Jael ranted, remembering all of the pain she'd felt from Dean the second time she read him. "Everyone leaves him; he just wants to hold on to Ryder needin' him a little while longer."

"Ryder senses it-at least, he seems to-because he's decided he wants to age, normally." Castiel admitted, knowing Jael had never tried to read the toddler. He'd had some conversations through angelic frequencies with Ryder, and knew that his son was much more powerful than he let on.

"He can choose that?" Jael asked, slightly shocked by how strong the seemingly innocent child was.

"Most Nephilim can't-they age without their consent, either at a normal human pace or rapidly-but Ryder can." Castiel replied, his eyes filled with pride.

"Have his wings come in, yet?" Jael asked, slightly shocked when she noticed Dean-with a sleeping Ryder in his arms-standing in the doorway of the kitchen, just out of Castiel's line of sight.

"They've always been there." Castiel answered, seemingly amused by the fact that humans couldn't see Ryder's wings. "He's just very skilled at hiding them."

"Don't look so sad, Jay; I only saw them once, and it was when he was first born." Dean said, walking farther into the kitchen.

"Don't leave me hangin', Dean! What do they look like?" Jael asked, forcing herself to smile at Dean as he stood next to Castiel, allowing the Angel to hold onto him.

"They're... They're amazing; red at the roots, and they fade to yellow at the tips of the feathers. The middle is this... This deep orange. They're perfect." Dean said, smiling at his sleeping son.

"They're a copy of Dean's soul; bright and warm, just like sunlight." Castiel said with a sad smile. "I always wished for wings as beautiful as Ryder's."

"Have you seen Cas' wings?" Jael asked Dean, just happy to help keep the eldest Winchester's mind off of his mother leaving.

"No; he said I shouldn't have been able to see Ryder's." Dean replied, clearly wondering what Castiel's wings looked like.

"Mine are darkness, and Ryder's are light; mine are black and fade into a medium blue tint with purples throughout." Castiel admitted, looking away from his lover and friend.

"They sound beautiful." Dean muttered, gazing down at Castiel lovingly.

"They really do." Jael agreed with a yawn. "I'm gonna head back to bed; hopefully Sam's still sleepin'." Jael nodded to both men and gently ran her fingers over Ryder's back as she left the kitchen, leaving Dean and Castiel alone with their son.

"Did she know Mom was gonna leave?" Dean asked Castiel, already well aware of the fact that Jael and Castiel talked about nearly everything.

"Dean-" Castiel was cut off by the cold, sad look in Dean's normally vibrant green eyes when Dean moved to take Jael's vacant seat and was looking straight at Castiel.

"Don't lie to me, Cas." Dean gently ordered; he couldn't deal with Castiel lying if it was simply to protect Mary.

"No... She couldn't read Mary, at all." Castiel admitted, which made Dean's eyes widen comically.

"That's not possible; even Crowley couldn't block Jay out." Dean mumbled, trying to think of anything that Mary could use to keep Jael out of her head. 

"We don't have to figure this out, tonight, Dean; let's go back to bed with Ry... With Rocket." Dean laughed at Castiel using his nickname for Ryder, but decided to follow Castiel back to their room.

 

"Guess you're just up?" Jael asked Sam as she walked back into their bedroom, finding Sam sitting up in their bed.

"You avoided touching Mary... Whatever you saw, you didn't like it." Was Sam's response. Jael could see where Sam would have come to that conclusion, but she wished they didn't have to have this conversation, tonight.

"I avoided it, 'cause there was nothin'. No sound, no scents, no images... It was just... Nothin'." Jael sighed, sitting next to Sam on the bed. "It makes no sense; Dean's the easiest read I ever did, and you? I don't even have to focus; I can link into you effortlessly. But Mary? There was nothing."

"How?" Sam asked, turning his head to meet Jael's lovely grey eyes.

"I don't know." Jael replied, laying her head on Sam's shoulder so she didn't have to see the sadness in those warm, hazel eyes she'd fallen in love with.

"The first time you told me about our future-and about Dean and Cas' future-I thought we'd end up naming one of our girls after my Mom. But now? She just... Walked away like Dean and I aren't her family." Sam confided, wrapping one of his long arms around the petite woman at his side.

"Still think they're mine?" Jael asked, trying to fight the smile forming on her face. She wanted those beautiful little girls to belong to her and Sam, but she knew that there was always the possiblity that they weren't. Hell, she didn't even listen when Sam would say-or think, when she was too tired to block the connection she formed with the younger Winchester-that she was the love of his life, because she knew he still loved pure, sweet, forever young Jessica Moore.

"I know they are." Sam said, lifting Jael's chin and placing a soft kiss on her lips. Sure, they needed to figure out what had made Mary decide to leave so quickly-and why Jael couldn't read her-but for now? Jael was just happy to have Sam with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me some comments, because they make my day and-since I have a horrid cold-I could use some comments! Much love!


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